~Chapter 4~

It has only been one full day since I came to Heartland City. How's it possible to be pissed off this early? I think the universe is conspiring against me.

And this duel is the icing on the cake.

"Go, Crystal Chrononaut! Attack Stealthray!" Trey calls his attack.

The violet alien fires its beam on Mecha Phantom Beast Stealthray, dealing a clean 2000 points of damage to me, dropping my Life Points to zero. I sigh sharply, massaging the bridge of my nose. The Augmented Reality system disconnects in a series of 0s and 1s, allowing the ruddy and muddy construction site to be bathed in the dawn light. I yawn widely and take off my Duel Gazer, and then rub out the water building around the edges of my eyes.

"Wow, why did I expect the duel to end any different?" Quattro comments, getting up from the dirt and brushing off his clothes. "Your deck sucks major ass!"

I throw him a glare, though the effect is weak. I'm a bit groggy, and it may take a while for my eyes to adjust to the AR system. I can finally sympathize with those poor kids in my world when 3D technology became popular. "So what does that say about your own deck, Quattro?" I toss back with minimal effort. "If anything, you just admitted that without an Extra Deck, then your Main deck is even lower than 'sucking major ass.'"

"What did you say -?!"

"That's enough, Quattro," Trey says, moving in between me and his older brother. "Take the criticism with grace and learn from your loss to her."

I flash a mocking grin at Quattro, earning a frustrated glare from said teen. As for Trey, I didn't know why until he summoned Crystal Chrononaut he came up with the rule to restrict Quattro's Extra Deck when he himself was still able to use it. I ended up not using my Extra Deck at all because I thought the rule also applied to me. However, the reason dawned on me during the duel. Quattro's Extra Deck, at this point of time, probably has only Numbers in it. Trey also has Numbers, but he also has XYZ monsters that aren't Numbers, giving him flexibility while…concealing the fact that he has Numbers? Why they are trying to keep the knowledge of Numbers from me, I dunno. They're probably thinking that Numbers are way out of my league. Or that using Numbers against me would be overkill? I'm not surprised. I'm just a stranger they picked up off the streets. They know nothing about my knowledge or my abilities, though Vetrix claims to see potential in me. He's the one who requested to take me in, after all.

Quattro tsks and turns his back to us. "Whatever, I think we've done enough 'training' for the day. I'm outta here."

"But wait, brother! Weren't we also supposed to -?"

"Like hell am I going shopping with that bitch over there," Quattro spat, venom dripping from his words. "As long as you have the measurements, then there's no need for me to go along with you."

And with that, Quattro disappears into the dark vortex of the overlay network, leaving Trey with me. Wow, I almost feel hurt by his comment. But at least he's open with his feelings, so I know to avoid him in the future. The other two, I'm not so sure. You see, upon my sudden introduction hosted by Vetrix himself the three Arclights brothers didn't seem fond of the presence of an additional 'member of the family,' as Vetrix had worded it.

The following day (yesterday), the tense atmosphere lingered on. Trey and Quinton avoided addressing me – or even looking at me, and Quattro went out for the day because of a one-sided argument between him and Vetrix that I pretended wasn't the least bit about me. In the end, it was Vetrix that tried his best to make me feel at home. I wasn't gonna let his hospitality get to me, especially when I already know he's one of the antagonistic factions on the hunt for Numbers and revenge. But still, it's more evidence for me proving that devils treat me better than any supposed angel.

After a few lengthy seconds, Trey turns to me with a strained smile that's meant to look apologetic. "Don't take anything Quattro says to heart, Daciana. He's always agitated like that and tends to go overboard." I nod, letting him know that I acknowledge his words, but I know Quattro. He's impulsive, attention-seeking, sadistic, and volatile. Basically a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. But at least I know when the countdown will reach zero and soon fizzle out. I just pray that my presence doesn't make him prematurely explode. But Trey's attempt at kind words relieve the pent-up pessimism from a while ago, and I thank him mentally for that.

"Well then, shall we?" And our shopping spree has begun.

Walking about the streets of Heartland City feels so magical, so unreal that I feel like skipping down the sidewalks (though I try to keep myself from looking too excited), spinning around to catch all the sights: tall buildings and air trolleys that reflect the technological advances of this society (that my world could easily catch up to if they just put their minds to it), mega-department stores that rival the ones along Broadway, how clean the streets are, and the parks! Well, the parks are a little disappointing, especially when I've been to Central Park a couple of times, which exceeds them in sheer size. Trey mentions off-handedly that there are five parks all around Heartland City. I bet Central Park can fit all five of them inside its area, plus ten more.

But the best part of sightseeing is viewing everything from a child-like perspective, now that I have the body of my former thirteen-year old self. It was a huge surprise when I came into this dimension. My voice is softer, squeakier, and just plain cute. It was something I was so glad to leave behind because people would fawn over how cute and sweet I was, resulting in my development of this cynical mindset that people won't ever take me seriously. My pajamas and underwear were very loose around my body and – well, I didn't have a bra on to begin with so it was kind of embarrassing, even when the 'girls' are a bit smaller. I thought I had shrunk or something. When Quattro took my measurements that night, it more or less confirmed that theory. Well, it's not actually shrinking so much as it was age regression.

See, I was a chubby girl back then, enough for Gen to make passing comments about it every other day. And yet there is no flab of fat on me resembling my past. Instead, I am fit just as I was before coming here, yet as fit as I could possibly be as a thirteen-year-old. Almost as if the person I was before coming here has proportionally sized down so that my new form could handle that same proportion of my current reservoir of strength. I feel so much lighter that I can probably fly like Mario in the tanuki suit if I run fast enough! But my blows just don't have that impact it used to have. I would punch and kick repeatedly, only for me to spin out and trip on myself because of said floaty-ness. Oh well, just need to train my body here and there to get back on track. But anyways, now that I'm here in Heartland City, I have to try and make myself at home, and the number one priority is finding clothes (and several bras and underwear) that fit.

In the meantime, I have to wear this…garment Quattro has made for me. Can you believe it? I never took him to be the seamster (is that the right word?) kind of guy. Anyways, the outfit resembles Trey's outfit: a two-piece bronze medieval garment (compared to his Venetian red one) that barely flares out at the hem. The dress shirt I wear is crisp and white like everyone else's, the ballera is open and frilly (the frills are the same crispy white) like Vetrix's, and I wear a bronze collar around my neck – again, like Vetrix.

The outfit was just completed last night, so I stayed indoors for all of yesterday using the time to settle down within the four walls of my assigned room. After having felt the weight of how much I wasn't welcomed by the Arclight brothers, I took the time to skim through my Yu-Gi-Oh card collection to form a coherent deck as well as check my iPhone and laptop to see whether or not they still function in this world (lucky me they end up crossing dimensions with me!) Vetrix had also asked me if I have a Machine-themed deck, and that I should if I were to work in sync with Trey, Quattro, and Quinton. Not that I could imagine a time those three will want to work with me.

But there was one majorly weird thing that happened while skimming through my cards. Besides the fact that I don't even have my entire collection, for some reason some of the cards…stung me? Burned me? It felt more like…a static shock, but there was a radiating burning sensation that lingered on my skin for a while. I have no words for what exactly happened, and I have no idea why certain cards did that. I thought that maybe I was getting paper cuts from the card's (dull!) edges, but there were no signs of cuts on my fingers. I spent the rest of my deck building session enduring unpredictable stings until I built back together my Mecha Phantom Beast deck. Thank the Lord that none of the cards in this deck hurt me, but still…

It's now 12:08 pm and Trey and I are taking a break at a small café. Apparently, Vetrix requested that we bring back some treats once we start to head back to the hotel. The actual shopping was…a lot less successful than I hoped. When I pulled out the first shirt from the first rack I saw, I remembered that Heartland is a city based in Japan, where the sizes are universally smaller than American sizes. I looked through all sections of several stores of several malls – no matter the intended gender – only to come out with two bags, one of them with only undergarments, and feminine necessities taking up half of the other bag. I'm gonna have to look around Heartland City some more another time. Alone. Because I'm not willing to suffer walking around with someone who couldn't at least pretend to get along with me. It's annoying with human beings, and even worse with anime characters I love. Even though Trey can be the most stoic out of the family, every now and then when he stole looks from me between clothes racks it looked like he was physically pained doing so.

So when Trey returns with three white paper bags of pastries and sandwiches, I land the icebreaker. "Do you hate me, Trey?"

Trey's eyes darken, narrowing slightly. His grip on one of the bags must have unconsciously loosen a little, letting the bag slip out of his fingers, but I instinctively catch the bag at the last minute before it touches the floor. I blow out a thin stream of air in silent relief. That was a close one, but let's just say that I'm used to situations like this where something's bound to shatter on the ground. If there's one thing people hate about me, it's that I don't know the meaning of delicacy. However, the truth is the opposite. It's just that I can't afford not to be direct and blunt. My life and sanity have always depended on it, and this predicament is no exception.

Suddenly, my Duel Gazer buzzes vigorously in my pocket, startling me out of my silent thoughts. I straighten up, take it out, and push a button. Vetrix's face shows up on lens screen.

"Are you two alright? You've been out for longer than I have expected," he says, his expression unreadable, mostly because of that iron mask he's wearing.

"Oh, we're fine. We're just heading back right now," I assure him.

"Wonderful. Have you gotten everything you need?"

I hum with feigned hesitance. "Not really, but it's no big deal. Just gonna have to do multiple trips searching about for the right articles, is all."

Vetrix tilts his head in thought. "Is that so? Well, if it doesn't bother you, then I guess that's just how it is. Anyways, come home safely now!" He waves before the transmission cuts off.

I glance over to Trey and he quickly looks away, but I can see under his cotton candy fringes his furrowed brows and those distant eyes he wore that night when he came to retrieve me for his father. I open the bag I caught and pull out a chocolate croissant wrapped in tissue paper, and then stuff the bag underneath my arm. "Still waiting for an answer from you. Come, let's walk back in the meanwhile."

And we do, though Trey insists on pretending he's a robot and keeping his lips shut. At least he's paying attention to where he's walking from the way he's weaving expertly around the crowd of bumbling guys and girls. A bit too good and a bit too quickly, almost as if he's trying to lose me in the sea of people. But if there's one thing I have to thank Gen for forcing me to learn, it is to walk briskly, broadly, and effortlessly to keep up with people. When I was little, every time Gen forced me to go shopping with her on weekends was basically a training session for me to keep up no matter how tired I was or how short my legs were. I remember crying after her for walking too fast and leaving me behind in the midst of strangers. Like she was abandoning me to fend for myself. Sometimes she would yell at me and "watch me 'n you when we get home!" in that harsh patois accent for being such a crybaby. If that didn't work, she would buy me an oven-baked cookie or an ice cream cone to shut me up as a sign that she has given up on calming me down the good ol' fashioned way. But despite the tasty rewards, I was more concerned about staying close to the woman I then called 'mommy' above anything else.

I manage to stay on the boy's trail for a while, focusing on his slim frame and outlandish clothing as my guide. However, I get so caught up in staying close to Trey in this crowd that a meaty arm nearly pushes me back like a tidal wave, and out of instinct and frustration I push back. A low-rumbling growl soon follow.

"Yo, watch who you bumping into, girly!"

I freeze in place, feeling the bile run through my stomach, and turn around to find a big dude snarling through his clenched teeth and glowering eyes. The dude's arms remind me of Popeye's disproportionately muscular arms. His face is round in general form but chiseled, and his eyes are thin and sharp, shadowed by his thick, brown eyebrows. His hair sticks up and curves to the left like a bird raising a wing in the air, and there's a wrestling belt strapped around his waist. Damn, this just isn't my day.

I suck in air sharply through my teeth. "Uh sorry 'bout that, bruh," I say all cool and friendly, holding my hands up half-casually, half in surrender. When I glance behind me, I don't see any sign of pink and brown hair or those medieval clothes anywhere. I can't believe Trey actually left me. "I was, uh, just rushin' back home. Kinda in a hurry, too, so…"

The dude's lips tighten into a thin line, and his fists closing and opening patiently. "That's no excuse! You just tainted the presence of the Mysterious Mr. Amazing, and I demand a duel to reclaim that honorable dignity!" The dude slaps his Duel Pad on his wrist, serious about carrying out his challenge.

Then, a teal tattoo in a familiar Astralglyph font glows from the dude's right upper arm, reading "51". Oh crap, this dude is possessed by a Number? Should I take him up on his challenge? In public like this? And if by some miracle I do win, will I be able to take his Number? This may be my only opportunity, so I'm feeling kinda ballsy right now. Trey isn't here, and Vetrix – well, he would probably prioritize getting the Number if he were in my shoes.

With much thought and much focus to ignore the pairs of eyes that are probably focused on us, I comply to his challenge, eliciting a freakish grin from the dude. "But we should go somewhere else. Somewhere out of the public's eye, if you catch my drift."

The dude's grin grows more freakishly as he turns 90 degrees and sweeps his hand across the width of his largeness. "Fine by me. You lead the way."

And so, I lead him back to the abandoned construction site where Trey, Quattro, and I were training in earlier this morning. The secluded area is surrounded by a wall of dull red beams reaching high enough that probably only a helicopter may be able to see us. Plus, the site is quite some ways from any running store, business, or places any normal person with average curiosity would care to go. And then there's the haunted atmosphere that seems to encase this dilapidated sector of Heartland City. No wonder Quattro loves this place…

"We're here," I announce simply, walking over to the beams to set down my bags.

"Heh heh, gotta say I like your style," the dude chortles, his eyes scanning the area. "Though, the performance of a potential wrestling star shouldn't be obscured from the public. But I'll give it a pass. Don't wanna get caught pummeling a little girl to her knees! Hahahaha!"

"Are you done talking to yourself now?" I drone. "Let's get this over with." Preferably before someone walks on in and catches me beating your ass.

"Heh, you're on! There's no way you can defeat the Mysterious Mr. Amazing! Not as long I got the power!" The dude – I guess he's really calling himself the "Mysterious Mr. Amazing" – finishes turning his Duel Pad into a coherent duel disk and puts on his orange-brown Duel Gazer.

I flip backwards, creating some distance between us. I take out my chrome furnished Duel Pad from my pocket and throw it in the air. "Duel Disk, ginga!" I call out, whipping my left hand forward and over to the right in an exaggerated ginga stance. In a flash of light, a chrome gauntlet materializes over my hand and in response to my voice, the Duel Pad circles down and attaches to the gauntlet, unraveling itself to roughly resemble the body of a slender, mini space battleship cruiser with silver spikes protruding out from the left end in a conical formation. I then put on my chrome Duel Gazer over my left eye. "Duel Gazer, inicio!"

The construction site is bathed in an upward wave of numbers followed by green light. Augmented Reality established…

"Let's duel!" we both say, drawing our starting hand of five cards.

The Mysterious Mr. Amazing: 4000

Daciana: 4000

"Since you issued the challenge, I'll go first. I draw!" I say. Currently in my hand are Hamstrat, Fiendish Chain, Scapegoat, Megaraptor, Draw Muscle, and Blackfalcon (which I just drew). A pretty good starting hand, though I wonder if destiny is going a bit overboard on what little good luck I have. "I place a card face-down in Defense position and place two cards face-down. I end my turn."

Mr. Amazing scrunches up his face. "What a cowardly way to duel! But then again, what did I expect from a fragile, little girl? My turn, I draw!" His disgust turns into a sickening grin. "Heh, when you have a monster on your side of the field and I don't, I can Normal Summon Big Piece Golem without Tributing." A giant, gray, roughly-carved golem appears on the field, slapping the ground vigorously with hands as big as half its body.

Big Piece Golem: Level 5 ATK/2100 DEF/0

"And I will attack your face-down monster. Go, Big Piece Golem!"

The giant golem lumbers its way over to my face-down monster and raises both its fists in the air, ready for gravity to takes its effect. My face-down monster flips over in response, revealing a small airplane with the face of an angry hamster.

Mecha Phantom Beast Hamstrat: Level 3 ATK/1100 DEF/1600

"Well, thank you for that. I activate Hamstrat's ability," I call out. "When it's flipped face-up, I can Special Summon two Mecha Phantom Beast tokens on my side of the field."

Two iridescent hologram copies of Hamstrat materializes on the field on either side of the spot where Hamstrat self-destructs from being crushed by Big Piece Golem's fists.

Mecha Phantom Beast Token (2): Level 3 ATK/0 DEF/0

Mr. Amazing growls, clearly irritated. "So, that's your plan? I destroy your monster, and two more will pop up to take its place. Not that two monsters with no Attack points will do you any good."

I shrug with indifference. "You say that now, but these tokens are actually more powerful than you think."

"Yeah, like half as powerful as my pinky!" Mr. Enter trash-talks. "I end my turn with a face-down."

"My turn. I draw." I draw from my deck, pulling out Tetherwolf. "I summon Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf in Attack mode!" A helicopter in the shape of a silver wolf with two long cables dancing in the wind ascends to the field.

Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf: Level 4 ATK/1700 DEF/1200

"Now, Tetherwolf's ability activates," I continue. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Mecha Phantom Beast token on my side of the field."

Mecha Phantom Beast Token (3): Level 3 ATK/0 DEF/0

"Also, Mecha Phantom Beast Monsters gain levels equal to the total levels of the MPB tokens on the field. There are three Level 3 MPB tokens, so Tetherwolf gains nine levels."

Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf: Level 13 ATK/1700 DEF/1200

Mr. Amazing's eyes widen, almost bulging out with suppressed shock. "W-wait, you can't have a Level 13 monster! Isn't that against the rules?" he yells from across the field.

"Hmm." I place a finger on my chin in thought. "Well, not really. I can't do anything with a Level of thirteen under most circumstances. Plus, Mecha Phantom Beasts are allowed leverage of three levels above normal limits, so they can reach Level 15 at max. Anyways," I point my finger at Big Piece Golem, "I attack Big Piece Golem with Tetherwolf."

Tetherwolf zooms over to the giant golem and shoots its cables at its body.

"Are you retarded, girlie?" Mr. Amazing grins, amused. "Your monster has lower attack than mine. You're gonna self-destruct!"

"Oh, you think so?" I smile back with a snarky grin. "I activate Tetherwolf's other ability. By tributing a Token on my field, it can increase its attack by 800 until the end of this turn." Tetherwolf's eyes glow a bright red and its propellers spin wildly, creating enough turbulence to make the burning red cables whip around in a frenzy.

Mecha Phantom Beast Token (2): Level 3 ATK/0 DEF/0

Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf: Level 10 ATK/2500 DEF/1200

The cables are now latched onto Big Piece Golem, melting the small area of its body where they are connected. The wolf helicopter lifts the golem from its feet thank to the turbulence and swings it hard against the red beam wall, causing the opposing monster to break into rubble with Mr. Amazing caught in the aftermath.

The Mysterious Mr. Amazing: 4000 = 3600

"Now, Tetherwolf's attack returns to normal. I end my turn."

Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf: Level 10 ATK/1700 DEF/1200

"Good. I draw!" Mr. Amazing looks at the card he draws and smiles. "Yeah! First, I activate the spell Monster Reborn to revive my Big Piece Golem."

Big Piece Golem: Level 5 ATK/2100 DEF/0

"Next, I'll summon Small Piece Golem in Attack mode!" A smaller golem that looks to be made of carven wood appears on the field, pumping its left fist in the air.

Small Piece Golem: Level 3 ATK/1100 DEF/0

"And guess what? When Small Piece Golem is summoned to the field when I control a Big Piece Golem, I can Special Summon Medium Piece Golem from my deck!" Mr. Amazing takes out his deck and searches for his respective card, summoning it and returning the deck back in its compartment where the duel disk automatically shuffles it back. A more monstrous golem, jagged and spiky, appears on the field, clenching and opening its rocky fingers.

Medium Piece Golem: Level 4 ATK/1600 DEF/0

"And now, I activate the spell card that I just drew: Polymerization!"

I narrow my eyes and kiss my teeth. Crap, this guy can Fusion Summon, too?! I thought only Kite and Master Roku could Fusion Summon in this show since it has been decades or more since the third season of Yu-Gi-Oh. I guess this guy just proved me wrong.

"Now I fuse Big Piece Golem with Medium Piece Golem in order to Fusion Summon Multiple Piece Golem!" A simplistic mech-like construct with giant, white gauntlets rises from the dust, its rigid form towering over the construction site.

Multiple Piece Golem: Level 7 ATK/2600 DEF/1300

The dude laughs triumphantly with his hands on his hip where that wrestling belt is strapped. "Quake before me, weakling, as I attack your little toy over there with my golem! Go, Multiple piece Golem! Earthquake Smash!"

"As if!" I growl. "Tetherwolf's ability can activate during your turn also. I tribute another token to increase its attack by 800 'til the End Phase!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Token (1): Level 3 ATK/0 DEF/0

Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf: Level 7 ATK/2500 DEF/1200

"Now only that, but Mecha Phantom Beasts share one more special ability! While there is at least one token on my side of the field, they can't be destroyed by battle or card effects."

Mr. Amazing snarls in disappointment, and I know he knows why. "Well, it doesn't matter. You still take damage from my attack cuz you're still weaker, though you manage to greatly reduce the damage you take."

Multiple Piece Golem's fist smashes into a red force field that materializes upon impact. I brace myself for the force of the impact, but nothing more than a strong breeze blows past me.

Daciana: 4000 = 3900

"I place a card face-down and end my turn! You manage to save yourself this time," Mr. Amazing says, his voice husky and intimidating. "But at this rate, you won't even get to see my true ace!"

I hum in thought, scanning the field as it is now. He has two monsters on his field – one of them being a Fusion monster! – and two face-down cards. He hasn't used the face-down he Set since his first turn, meaning I must be doing something right to keep him from activating it. But the one thing I know for a fact I haven't done yet that pops into mind is declaring an attack, so it's likely that his face-down will activate when I attack. Or maybe I really did do something "bad", but he decides not to spring the card on me, saving it for a direr situation. Or maybe I should just stop overthinking this and start my turn.

I draw my card, which is Forbidden Lance. It'd be great if it was actually Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of the guess work as to what his face-downs are, but MST doesn't negate any effect, so there's that. Plus, my monsters should be protected as long as I have a token. But how long will that last? Nothing's stopping Mr. Amazing from attack my token and then destroying my monster. But this is why I have my own face-down placed.

"Yo, hurry it up!" Mr. Amazing's obnoxiously loud voice breaks my concentration. "This is a duel, not a cafeteria line!"

I roll my eyes, picking a card out from my hand. "I summon Mecha Phantom Beast Megaraptor in Attack mode!" A Velociraptor-shaped fighter jet flies down onto the field with a sharp cry.

Mecha Phantom Beast Megaraptor: Level 4=7 ATK/1900 DEF/1000

Hrm, what to do, what to do? No, don't overthink this! This is the Yu-Gi-Oh anime, not the meta of the Real World. Still, let's tread lightly here. "Now, I'll attack your Small Piece Golem with Megaraptor!" Megaraptor flaps its metallic wings and charges forward at the wooden golem.

"Ha! You fell for my trap, which I'll activate right now!" Mr. Amazing calls, the face-down card flipping up. "Go, Magic Cylinders!"

I stumble back. "Shit!"

"Haha! With this card, I can negate your monster's attack and deal damage to your Life Points equal to its attack!"

Two magenta cylinders with rings of diamond on either end and a question mark in the middle emerge from the card. The right cylinder sucks in Megaraptor, who tries resisting the pull but fails, like a vacuum. With the monster absorbed, the cylinder to the left fires Megaraptor in my direction at blinding speeds. My monster opens its giant maw at me and chomps down on my torso. I bite my lips close, suppressing the excruciating groan erupting from my throat, and collapse onto the floor.

Daciana: 3900 = 2000

To my surprise, I can still move my arm around as if it didn't just get chomped on a second ago. But then again, this is all just virtual reality. And if anything looks real, it would end up feeling real…to some degree. "I continue my attack, using Tetherwolf to attack your Small Piece Golem!"

"Hrrgh!" Mr. Amazing grits his teeth as his monster gets destroyed before his eyes.

The Mysterious Mr. Amazing: 3600 = 3000

"I'm surprised you didn't use your last token to boost your monster's strength." Mr. Amazing furrows his brows. "You could've done more damage to me. Or were you holding back?"

I smirk, rising to my feet. "I don't hold back when it comes to big damage and big plays." I shoot my fist into the air. "Thanks to this token, both my monsters are Level 7. So with this, I overlay Level 7 Tetherwolf and Megaraptor to build the Overlay Network!" The two monster transform into balls of red and green energy respectively before beaming into the air where a red galaxy vortex appears to absorb them. "I XYZ Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack!" A smooth, white, cargo aircraft with a long tail, black-striped wings, and a head similar to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon descends from the network with two balls of yellow light orbiting its body like satellites. The monster roars ferociously.

Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack: Rank 7 ATK/2600 DEF/2200

"Now I use Dracossack's special ability. By tributing one Mecha Phantom Beast monster on the field, I can target one card on the field and destroy it. So I Tribute my last MPB token to destroy your Multiple Piece Golem!"

"No!" The dude barks.

Mecha Phantom Beast Token (0)

Dracossack opens its mouth wide, a sphere of turbulent wind building up within. Then it exhales the wind into a beam-like shockwave that quickly slices up Multiple Piece Golem into shards, leaving the monster to disintegrate from the field. Mr. Amazing is seething to the point where I can imagine a vein popping and pulsing from his forehead. But then he waves his hand over to his other face-down card.

"I activate my trap Call of the Haunted to bring back my Medium Piece Golem!"

Medium Piece Golem: Level 4 ATK/1600 DEF/0

I 'hmph' with an amused smile. "Trying to hang by a thread, huh. Oh well, I end my turn."

"Tch! You think you have me cut down to size, huh! Destroying one of my best monsters so easily like that." Mr. Amazing's voice is husky and intimidating, which makes the situation more adrenaline-packed. "Well, now it's time to show you my new, true power!"

A bubbling spring of unfounded excitement rises inside my chest. "Heh, bring it on, bagga mouth!" I laugh, egging him on.

Mr. Amazing looks taken back and confused, probably by my sudden shift in accent. The little embarrassment I feel for him almost kills my drive, but he quickly resumes his turn.

"I-I don't know what you even said," the dude sputters. "B-but anyways, I play the spell card Foolish Burial. With it, I can send one monster from my deck to the graveyard. And guess what? The monster I sent to the graveyard has its ability activated. When my Revival Golem is sent from the Deck to the graveyard, I can activate one of its two abilities. And I choose to Special Summon it from my graveyard!" A black, waxy golem with white cracks on its body appears on the field, kneeling with its giant hands crossing over its head.

Revival Golem: Level 4 ATK/100 DEF/2100

"Next, I summon Gorgonic Cerberus onto the field!" A small, mechanical animal with three heads attached to its body with tight coils dashes onto the field like a dog to its master.

Gorgonic Cerberus: Level 3 ATK/1300 DEF/300

Mr. Amazing slams his fists together, knuckle to knuckle. "I activate Cerberus's special ability. When it's Normal Summoned onto the field, all Rock-Type monsters I control becomes Level 3!"

Medium Piece Golem: Level 3 ATK/1600 DEF/0

Revival Golem: Level 3 ATK/100 DEF/2100

Oh crap, he has three Level 3 monsters on his field…

"And now, I overlay Level 3 Medium Piece Golem, Revival Golem, and Gorgonic Cerberus to build the Overlay Network!"

The monsters transform into beams of orange, violet, and red light respectively, spiraling around each other as they merge at the center of a golden galaxy-like spiral. The teal Astralglyph on the side of Mr. Amazing's upper arm appears and glows violently.

"Mighty fists of Earth! Display your strength to your enemies and make them cower into submission!" Mr. Amazing chants. "I XYZ Summon Number 51: Finish Hold the Amazing!"

A brown, boulder-like structure emerges from the Overlay Network. The monster uncurls itself, revealing his hulky arms covered with fur around the wrists and its head, which looks like it's covered with a red, gold, and black luchador mask with horns protruding from the sides. Its giant figure crashes onto the field and the monster turns to me, pelvic thrusting to show off its spiky, gold-plated wrestling belt.

Number 51: Finish Hold the Amazing: Rank 3 ATK/2600 DEF/0

I take several steps back. Yo, wait! A Rank 3 monster with the same amount of attack as a Rank 7 Dracossack?! What the actual hell!

"Let's go, Amazing! Show that dragon the destruction of your bare fists!" Number 51 runs forward at my monster, swinging its two arms like propellers.

This is not good. Damn, I should've used Dracossack's other special ability last turn, using an overlay unit to create two more Mecha Phantom Beast tokens and save itself from destruction! And since Number 51 is a Number card, in the anime world it can't be destroyed by battle unless it's with another Number! Jesus frickin' –! I look down on my field, remembering one of my face-downs I Set at the beginning of the duel.

"I activate the Quick spell Scapegoat!" I call out, revealing one of my face-down cards. "This card generates four Sheep tokens on my side of the field!" One by one, a blue, red, pink, and orange sheep appear on my field, smiling like they have no care in the world.

Sheep Token (4) Level 1: ATK/0 DEF/0

"And since I have tokens on my field, Dracossack can't be destroyed by battle or card effects."

"Well then, I'll just redirect my attack at one of your sheeps," Mr. Amazing shouts. "Amazing, target that blue sheep over there!"

"Like I'd let you!" I continue my retaliation. "I activate my other face-down card, the Quick spell Draw Muscle! I can target a Defense-positioned monster with 1000 or less defense and for the rest of this turn, it can't be destroyed by battle. And I target the blue sheep!"

Number 51 opens out its hands readying to crush the blue sheep to dust, only for its hands to catch a blue force field set up around my token.

"Plus, Draw Muscle allows me to draw one card from my deck," I say, drawing the card like I'm pulling off a week-old band-aid. When I see the card I drew, for a moment the world feels like it just froze in time. Destiny must be screwing around with me if it decides to give me this card. The image of the card burns in my retinas the more I stare, and the weight of the reality of its texture between my fingers causes me to jump up like a fangirl squealing with excitement. Yo, what are the chances?! This duel is mine now.

"Whatever, it won't matter. I activate Amazing's special ability!" Mr. Amazing calls. "Since this card has battled, I can use one overlay unit and place a counter on it. And guess what," Mr. Amazing's lips curl upward into a snide grin, "At the end of a Battle Phase when this monster has three counters, it can destroy all cards you control, leaving you defenseless to my monster's wrath." An overlay unit smashes itself into Number 51's chest, and a gold aura dimly outlines its body. "And all my monster has to do to get these counters is to be involved in battle. And since this will be the only monster I control, you have no choice but to attack it. Of course, you can delay your defeat by not attacking. Either way, I will win since you only have 2000 Life Points!"

Even though he says that, it doesn't change the fact that I now own this duel. All I have to do is literally play my cards right. One wrong step, and this duel will last needlessly longer.

"I end my turn. Your move, girlie!"

"My pleasure. I draw!"

Okay, okay, let's think this over. Number 51's ability is a field-clearing effect, not unlike Dark Hole or Torrential Tribute. I have plenty of experience with those cards, so I know for sure that I'll win because more likely than not, Mr. Amazing is probably not familiar with the ruling around Mecha Phantom Beasts. But then again, the dude just said that his monster's effect can destroy all cards I control, meaning that unlike Dark Hole or Torrential Tribute (which destroys only monsters), Number 51's ability will also destroy any backrow I may have. So I can't Set my trap just yet. Right now, Number 51 has one counter already, meaning that if I choose to attack this turn, then next turn, Mr. Amazing will nuke my field…supposedly. My field right now is filled with one Dracossack, four sheepies, and no back row…yet. Then, there's the fact that Mr. Amazing has 3000 Life Points left. I need to destroy his Number and end this duel in one blow…

"I'll attack Number 51 with my Dracossack!" I declare. Dracossack fires it windbust wave at Number 51, who easily shrugs off the attack.

"Are you high? Our monsters match each other in strength and neither of them can be destroyed in battle," Mr. Amazing laughs. "And I can detach an overlay unit to give Amazing another counter. It's almost like you want me to utterly destroy you!"

Another overlay unit is smashed, and the aura around Number 51's body morphs into eddying wave of energy flowing upwards to a point above its head. I maintain my stoic face, furrowing my eyebrows for added effect. "Whatever. I end my turn here."

"Great! My turn, I draw!" Mr. Amazing sticks the card in his hand, smirking triumphantly. "Amazing, attack the orange sheep token!" The monster crushes the poor token in its bare hand, reducing it to a pile of disintegrated matter. "And now, my monster will have all three tokens by detaching its final overlay unit!" The last overlay unit smashes against Number 51's chest, and the eddying wave turns into a golden, more powerful energy-like aura, enveloping the monster like a controlled flame and sending powerful shockwaves that threatens to topple me over.

"Go, Finish Hold the Amazing!" The monster positions and curves its hands where the palms face one another, creating a round space in between. A glow of energy builds up in that empty space, growing and growing until it touches both palms. "Wipe out her entire field with Cataclysmic Shock!" Obeying its duelist's command, Number 51 reels both hands back holding the sphere of energy and then thrust the energy forward, the deceivingly small energy ball blasting like a massive beam and mowing down my entire field in one destructive blow.

I can hear Mr. Amazing laughing heartedly by his supposed victory, not that he would have won yet since he would technically have to wait for his next turn to attack me again. The light dies down and smoke take its place to obscure the results of that devastating ability. But from where I stand, I see Dracossack's sleek white body hover about through the black smoke. Soon, the smoke clears and Mr. Amazing's eyes widen in confusion by the presence of my unscathed monster. A deep, evil, cackling sound rises from my mouth as I bend forward with my arms clutched around my waist. It is now my turn to laugh.

"…What? A-are…you fuckin' kidding me?!," Mr. Amazing breathes, his voice shaky before he unleashes a monstrous roar. "You were supposed to be writhing in the mud with nothing left to protect you!"

It takes a while before I can catch my breath, wiping the tears that gather at the corners of my eyes. "And that was the biggest flaw in your thinking! Mass destruction abilities don't work on Mecha Phantom Beasts as long as a Token in on the field because my monsters' ability make it so that you have to destroy the tokens first before you can destroy the monster. A simultaneous destruction doesn't cut it! Though, you did destroy my tokens, so I guess I can give a small applause for your 'accomplishment'."

Mecha Phantom Beast Token (0)

Mr. Amazing gazes at me wide-eyed, inhaling and exhaling raggedly, clenching and unclenching his fists to mitigate his pent-up rage. "My next turn…" he mutters. "My next turn shall be when I turn this duel around and crush you!"

I relax my face taut with laughter and hype, and sigh with wearied content to let out all that stress from my face.

"I place a card face-down and end my turn! Now hurry up so I can end this duel!" The dude roars.

I close my eyes and let out a slow and steady breath, conducting my Draw Phase, and then look at the field once more. There is no way I can achieve an Attack power high enough to get over that 2600 Attack and end this duel at the same time. But Number 51 has 0 Defense, and I can definitely take advantage of that. Destiny, don't screw this up now! "I summon Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon in Attack mode." A dark grey reconnaissance aircraft the shape of a falcon dives onto the field.

Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon: Level 4 ATK/1200 DEF/1700

"Next, I'll activate Dracossack's special ability. By using an Overlay Unit, it can Special Summon two MPB tokens onto the field."

Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens (2): Level 3 ATK/0 DEF/0

Now, it's time. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Mr. Amazing's shoulders shake up and down erratically, and a boisterous laugh rips through the silence of the construction site. "You stupid bitch! You've basically gift-wrapped my victory in the form of your tokens!" He draws his final card of the duel. "Finish Hold the Amazing, attack one of those damned Mecha Phantom Beast tokens!"

I squint my eyes by the sheer stupidity of the dude's move. "Okay, so? It's in defense mode, so my Life Points are protected."

"That's what you think!" Mr. Amazing laughs. "I activate the Trap, Strike Slash, and it can only be activated when I declare an attack! It gives my monster 700 more Attack points. Plus, it allows my monster to deal piercing damage when it attacks another monster in Defense mode!" Number 51's eyes spark with red, his entire body glowing with a harsh scarlet, and two lengthy, wolverine-like claws extend from the back of both of its large hands – one for either hand.

Number 51: Finish Hold the Amazing: Rank 3 ATK/3300 DEF/0

I stumble and fall backwards onto the dusty ground, letting out a high-pitched scream. No! That attack will do 3300 points of damage to my Life Points! And I'll lose the duel! Number 51 races up towards my field with newfound speed, winding back one of its hands ready to unleash its attack. But I smirk to myself. No way I'm going down without a fight. In fact, I'm not going down at all!

"I activate Blackfalcon's special ability! By tributing a token, I can target one monster on the field, forcing it to switch to defense mode. And I target Number 51."

The dude sputters with a stupefied expression, pulling out his hair and dropping his open palms in front of himself with indignation.

Mecha Phantom Beast Token (1)

Blackfalcon's golden talons darts out from its ankles towards Number 51, its claws open, and clamps onto the monster. With great strength, Blackfalcon pushes Number 51 back to its owner's side of the field, squeezing it until it's forced to take a defensive stance.

Number 51: Finish Hold the Amazing: Rank 3 ATK/ 3300 DEF/0

"I place a card face-down and end my turn." The dude maintains a steady, menacing gaze on me, and I can't help but smile. I want to say something to further bruise his ego, but I couldn't come up with anything witty to say. I'm too happy that the duel is mine.

"My turn, I draw! Now, I activate the trap Fiendish Chain and target Number 51!" The Trap card flips up, a flurry of chains imbued with dark energy shoots out and entangles the wrestling golem.

"Fiendish Chain?! Isn't that an extremely rare card? What's a girl like you doing with that?" Mr. Amazing shudders.

"U-um…" I scratch my head absently. Wow, so Fiendish Chain is a rare card in the Yu-Gi-Oh world? I know that since the anime has a wider variety of archetypes and cards in general, some cards we expect to find in several decks in the Real World may be considered extremely rare in this world. I just didn't think Fiendish Chain is one of them.

"But why would you use that card on my monster? Fiendish Chain negates the ability of one Effect monster on the field while also locking its ability to attack", Mr. Amazing begins. "But Finish Hold is in Defense mode anyway, so it can't attack. And I have no overlay units to even try to use its ability again."

I open my mouth, but then close it. Should I tell him? Oh, what's the harm! "Numbers cannot be destroyed in battle unless it's with another Number, and that is considered an ability, so that is what I'm negating. So I can destroy it using my Dracossack. Speaking of which, I attack Number 51 with Dracossack! And it's at this time I activate my other face-down card: Sonic Boom!" The other face-down card I set last turn flips right-side up. "With this card, I choose one Mecha Phantom Beast monster on my field and double its attack power until the End Phase. Not only that, but it allows my monster to deal piercing damage to a monster in defense mode! And I choose Dracossack."

"Ha, using the exact same trick I used last turn?" Mr. Amazing says. "So what if you can somehow destroy my monster now? Well, that's not gonna work cuz I'm activating my trap Negate Attack, so your attack is canceled anyway."

"Not quite," I smile, giggles ready to bubble out of me. "The monster that's affected by Sonic Boom cannot be affected by other Spell or Trap cards!"

"Shit! No!"

"Dracossack, attack Number 51 and end this duel."

Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack: Rank 7 ATK/5200 DEF/2200

The dragon aircraft flaps its wings, enveloping the battlefield in a gale, before diving at Number 51 at supersonic speed. What I don't account for is to be blown back from the force of its sonic boom. I didn't expect the Augmented Reality to be that real. Dracossack lunges at Number 51 and deals the final blow. The monster explodes from the attack, sending Mr. Amazing flying into the red beam barricade with a hard thud, a strangled noise escapes his gaping mouth.

The Mysterious Mr. Amazing: 3000 = 0 LOSE

Daciana: 2000 WIN!

The Augmented Reality fades in the same wave of green light and numbers. I scurry to my feet and take off the Duel Gazer. On the far end, Mr. Amazing's still body slouches against the beams. I'm not convinced that he's dead from a blow like that, probably unconscious. Mr. Amazing's body glows in a teal light and a luminescent white rectangle materializes from his chest before gliding away from his body and into my hands. The whiteness of the shape fades into the actual card, revealing itself to be Number 51: Finish Hold the Amazing.

I sigh with weariness and fall back onto the ground, looking up at the quintessential blue sky with puffy clouds floating on by. So much has happened today in so little time – at least, it felt like little time. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. The screen reads 2:49pm. Heh, imagine every single day being like today. And I know from here on out, the anime alone won't be lacking any action, so pair that up with whatever the Arclights may have in store for me.

I muster up whatever strength I have left to put my newly-won Number into my deck case. I think I'll keep this fateful encounter a secret from the Arclights, maybe for as long as they are willing to keep the 'secret' of Numbers from me. I can probably use this to my advantage somehow. Like, say, I betray them and spring the fact that "hey, I can use Numbers, too, ya jerks!" Or maybe even to help them, if it comes to that. Sometimes, the best way to help an ally is to keep them in the dark.

I yawn. Everything I did today is finally catching up to me, so I let my eyelids close for a moment.

And in a way, I consider the Arclights allies if only because I know how the anime will go. And I still love them as characters regardless of whether they're good or evil. Their apprehension revolving around me, when you think about it, is completely understandable. I mean, the last thing I personally want is for a stranger to assert their unwanted presence into my family, agitate Gen, and thus sparking her angry tirade and getting me and Dahn caught up in it. The whole situation could have been avoided if the stranger simply learned to keep his/her nose in their own business and fend for themselves. So I can empathize with the Arclight's situation. But I also know their importance to future events; I can't just get up and leave!

"Goddamnit, kid!"

My eyes fling open and entire body shake violently to the sudden disruption of the still tranquility. Footsteps crunch rapidly through the grit and dirt somewhere…behind me? In a second, a high-pitched scream breaks the tranquil air as I'm being dragged to my feet by the roots of my box-braided hair. The sound whittles down to desperate mewls and tears well up in my eyes. I immediately close them shut to keep them from falling.

Silence, but then, a dark chuckle bubbles out from my captor. "What the fuck do you think you're doing here?!" The captor – a guy – wrings at my hair, shaking me like how a pissed-off father would do to his child, and forces me to look directly at him. At first, I don't recognize him. I blink back the tears blurring my vision, and I see that he's wearing a burgundy hoodie that's several sizes too big; I think a black mariner underneath the hoodie since the opening is wide enough to reach his shoulders; black sweats, and black sunglasses. If it weren't for his tan, Arab-like complexion and the maroon and blonde hair that falls out from the hoodie, I wouldn't have known that this is Quattro.

"Who's that dude over there?" By now, Quattro's breathing is more even and controlled, but I can tell he's still livid by how he rushes through the question. He tightens his grip on my hair, and I bite down on my lips to keep myself from screaming.

I squeeze my hands together near my mouth. "U-um, earlier – I accidently bumped into him! A-and he was tryna pick a fight with me. It's cuz of him that I lost sight of Trey!" I give rapid-fire answers, hoping to God that they would be sufficient for Quattro. They sound bare-bones, so much so that I kinda wanna kick myself if Quattro isn't convinced, but then again, I don't want to tell Quattro that I willingly went along with this thug and dueled him. If I did, I don't think Quattro has the moral or social restraint to not beat up a little girl if he feels it necessary.

Quattro loosens his grip on me, but not without flicking me off with his palm. "Hurry up and get your shit so we can go home."

And I do. Quattro snatches my white paper bag once I return to his side, pulling out a random pastry and stuffing his face. I would protest, but then again, it kinda is my fault he's here. And I don't want him to stress out my hair roots any more. With that, we walk back to the hotel, leaving the Mysterious Mr. Amazing behind.

The walk back is silent, not that I care. I'm just happy Quattro doesn't decide to question the details of my day any further, or else I might back myself into a corner where I would have to tell him about the Number I won. Speaking of the Number, I don't remember Number 51: Finish Hold the Amazing being in the anime or the manga. As a matter of fact, I don't think this Number has ever been released in the TCG, let alone the OCG. And yet it is here in my deck box, previously held by another duelist influenced by its power. I mean, yeah Yuuma and Astral ends up having all the Numbers by the end of the arc, but there is no doubt there are a lot of Numbers we don't see them obtain. Numbers exclusive to the manga are some of them, and even then, there are a good amount of Numbers that have never been discovered at all.

"Can you, like, stop making those expressions?" Quattro interrupts my train of thought. "You look disturbed! At least keep your weirdness a secret in public."

I raise a brow. Is that supposed to be advice from one crazy person to another? And what's up with his clothes?! I've never seen – or expected – Quattro dress so casually. Oh well. Anyways, this day has been fruitful in unexpected ways. I smirk to myself, stroking my chin. I finally know what to do from now on: gather more information on this dimension as well as other Numbers – new or old – since all the important players in the plot will be hunting Numbers, too. Oh! And then there's Dahn. I wonder where he could be. I hold a balled hand to my lips. Is he even in Heartland City? Oh well, I guess I'll find out in my search for the plot. I'm sure he's doing fine…somehow.

Ugh, I finally manage to get this chapter out! XD

Also, for those who may not know, ginga (pronounced jinga) is the starting stance for people who practice capoiera, a type of martial arts that looks like dancing when executed. SO basically Daciana goes into a duel as if she were going to fight someone. Dante's the same way when you'll see in future chapters.

Also also, Number 51 is indeed an official card that actually came out recently (along with other Numbers), so I will be incorporating the new Numbers into the story.

Also also also, before anyone complains, I'll say this: I don't care what anybody says. I believe Quattro is mixed with either Indian or Middle Eastern. I mean, how can you not see it? But that's just my opinion. Have a nIcE wHeEeEeEeEeEe...!